A look back at Kacey Musgraves 2019 Grammy AOTY Golden Hour

This is an album I didn’t expect to like, purely because of how long it took me to listen to it. I’ve never been a fan of country music. I don’t really enjoy Taylor Swift’s older music that much, but I knew Kacey won Album of the Year at last year’s Grammys so I thought, “this must be a good album”. I tried listening to Space Cowboy and Butterflies which were the two songs a friend recommended I listened to, and I didn’t like them, so I put it off until I listened to Pony by Orville Peck and both that album and this one inspired me to make this blog.

I’m not claiming this to be my favorite album ever, but there are some songs in here that have become part of my daily rotation and that’s something I didn’t think would happen. The entire album has a certain sound to it that takes you places Kacey intended, like I say in the review, it feels like you’re sitting on a porch watching a sunset somewhere in the Deep American South. I do understand why she won this award, and considering this is my last review before another album takes AOTY, I wanted to do this one now and next week I’ll do whichever album becomes the next AOTY (fingers crossed for NFR!)

As always, if you wanna listen to the songs, the title of the tracks will take you to YouTube where you can listen to them. Thanks for reading!

1. Slow Burn

“Old soul, waiting my turn. I know a few things, but I still got a lot to learn”

Coincidentally the first song of the album I heard. It came up on a playlist I was listening to and I really liked it, so when I checked my phone I was shocked to see that it was Golden Hour because I’ve known about this album for almost a year (since it won AOTY at the 2019 Grammys) but I’d never really paid much attention to it. It’s the most beautiful way possible to start an album. I adore the bridge, how dreamy it sounds. There’s a certain image I have in my head, of the Deep American South and sitting on a porch looking upon a valley with the sun setting in the back, kind of like Britney’s “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart” music video. Definitely one of my top songs on the album. 8/10

2. Lonely Weekend

“Even if you got somebody on your mind it’s alright to be alone sometimes”

Another favorite! When I first started listening to the album I was shocked because when I heard about this album and it being country, I expected something really different, but this song literally feels like a pop song? More on the acoustic side, of course, but similar to Taylor Swift’s music back when she was pop, or perhaps Fleetwood Mac! The guitar and the overall feel of the song definitely reminds me of Fleetwood Mac. The chorus is CATCHY, I later discovered that she’s good at that. The song does get a bit repetitive by the end but that didn’t bother me at all, I enjoy the song quite a lot. 9/10

3. Butterflies

“Cloud Nine was always out of reach, now I remember what it feels like to fly”

Ok so really hot take (considering this song won a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance) but this is not my favorite song on the album. It’s a cute song, I love the melody she lays on the chorus, but it’s way too… cheesy for my liking. When I listen to the album, I never go for this song, it’s always a different one, and this one didn’t make it onto any playlist, which means that it’s not a favorite. What I think turned me off her music for so long was that when I asked a friend about Kacey’s music, he recommended this song, and I just assumed that it sounded similar to the rest of the album. 5/10

4. Oh, What a World

“Oh what a world and then there is you”

This is my favorite song on the album. Hands down. It’s a love song just like the previous one, but here she’s subtle about it, talking about the magical things she sees in the world, and how everything’s lovely, and then there’s *him*, followed by some beautiful guitar chords. When I first heard this song I started BAWLING. I cry a lot, but the realization that all this time she was building the song up to talk about her lover made me say “Wow, I wish someone would say these things about me”. Guess I’m gonna have to find myself a musician. The bridge is delicious, it’s just her voice over the guitar before dropping into the very last chorus and overlaying the same robotic voices from the beginning. 10/10

5. Mother

“I’m just sitting here thinking ‘bout the time that’s slipping and missing my mother”

Another tearjerker. I live far away from my mom, and this song, albeit short, talks about missing one’s mother. I guess the song was written from a daughter’s perspective, but sons can miss their mother’s too. It’s an interlude but the most beautiful interlude there could ever be. She says she’s thinking about the time that’s slipping: Nothing is forever and neither are moms, so call or hug yours if you have her close, tell her how much you love her and thank her for being there always for you! 9/10

6. Love Is a Wild Thing

“There’s no way to stop it, but they’ll try to”

So I get a thing where after there’s been so many great songs the next one feels a little underwhelming in comparison? This is yet another love song. It’s not bad, but it’s not my favorite. At this point I’d say it’s rather forgettable. I do appreciate the fact that it also sounds like a new wave of country music and not traditional bluegrass country music, which is what I would’ve expected from a country album. 6/10

7. Space Cowboy

“When a horse wants to run, there ain’t no sense in closing the gate”

This is another song that I feel like it’s a fan favorite but it just doesn’t do much for me? The wordplay is cute, I’d seen it before in a song called “Spaceman” by Chløë Black. I would even dare to call this song boring. It’s a ballad, it’s an endearing song, not my favorite and definitely not a song I ever go back to. 6/10

8. Happy & Sad

“And I’m the kind of person who starts getting kinda nervous when I’m having the time of my life”

It’s a good song. I like the chorus, the melody is really catchy. However the song as a whole feels a little weak. Like it should go harder. I know Kacey is not a belter but I feel like this song would have benefitted from that. It’s not memorable, it sits pretty in the middle of the pack, because I also don’t mind listening to it. 6/10

9. Velvet Elvis

“All I ever wanted was something classic, the kind of love song that goes on ‘til the end of time”

I like the chorus. I feel like the album falls a little short in the middle. It feels like a filler. I didn’t dislike it, I still tapped my foot to it, but it’s also not one of my favorites. It’s in the bottom, sadly. 5/10

10. Wonder Woman

“I know how it feels, it ain’t easy. There’s a reason why you only see it in the movies”

Again, cute song… The album feels strong because the songs that I love are powerful and they’re very good, almost making you forget that these 4 songs in the middle exist, but alas. Not my favorite, and yet again it’s more towards the bottom of the list. 5/10

11. High Horse

“So, why don’t you giddy up, giddy up and ride straight out of this town?”

WHAT. A. BOP. This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s ridiculously catchy, and the chorus goes hard, I don’t care what anybody says. I love the disco influence, it was really unexpected. It’s also the most pop song on the album, so it’s really unexpected especially being one of the last songs of the tracklist. It ends abruptly, so that’s an observation but I’m not complaining. 10/10

12. Golden Hour

“And I know, I know everything’s gonna be alright”

Remember that feeling I talked about with Slow Burn? I got that all over again with this one. When she says “I know, I know everything’s gonna be alright” it’s like she’s sitting next to you telling you that everything’s gonna be alright and you don’t have to worry because it gets better. It’s a love song done correctly. There’s nothing more beautiful than an orange sunset, it gives me a feeling that’s hard for me to describe, like you feel at home. Now imagine this song playing while you’re watching the sun set behind the horizon. Exactly. It goes without saying that it’s also one of my favorite songs. 9/10

13. Rainbow

“If you could see what I see you’d be blinded by the colors”

Not really a love letter to the LGBT community, but that’s what’s become of it. It’s so simple yet so beautiful. I usually don’t like ballads because I have to be in a certain mood to listen to them. It has an empowering message about letting the clouds pass and that a rainbow will shine for you. I did cry listening to this song because I am a member of the LGBT community and I need constant affirmation that everything will be alright. I feel like it’s a great song to finish the album. Just her and a piano, and the focus is on her voice so you get the message loud and clear. It’s not one of my favorites but it’s nowhere near the bottom. 7/10